The outer body of a vehicle has parts which move relative to each other, for example, static door posts and movable door frames. There exists a visible gap, which is usually curved, created between the fixed and movable parts. The width and depth of the gap varies depending on the model of the vehicle and the relative position of the static and movable part. Similarly, a gap may exist created between two static parts, or between two moving parts, or may be formed within a single part. When the vehicle is spray painted, there is flow of paint into the gap formed by the two parts or substrates. This overspray is undesirable and requires rectification.
Various methods and devices have been developed and adopted to overcome the flow of paint into such gaps. One method is to adhere a strip of foam-like material to an interior surface of the static or movable part of the vehicle. The material prevents paint flow further into the gap, but a build up of paint between the foam-like material and a surface of the static or movable part results in an unwanted rough paint edge when the material is removed which is apparent both to touch and visually.
Another technique adopted involves folding, lengthwise, a portion of a strip of masking tape, applying the adhesive section of the masking tape to an interior surface of a static part of the vehicle such that a non-adhesive section of the tape protrudes outwardly, and then applying a strip of foam-based material to the masking tape before closing the moving part and spray painting the vehicle. The non-adhesive portion of the folded tape prevents the masking tape from contacting paint sprayed on the static part. This technique often results in a smoother paint line, but is only suitable for particular geometries of gaps. For some vehicles, the foam-based material is compressed by the movable part to an extent that, from within the gap, it protrudes outwardly. This causes paint to ‘bridge’ between a surface of the movable part and the foam. Such a build up of paint therefore results in an rough paint edge when the foam and tape are removed. Furthermore, this technique is time consuming and requires considerable skill to position the tape and foam correctly.
An additional drawback of using folded masking tape is that, due to the curvature of the gap, there is a tendency for the tape to lift away from the vehicle part, which often results in excessive paint build up.